Today is the last day before Lent, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday. In modern times, it has come to mean that last day of indulging before the fasting of Ash Wednesday, a day to overdo it before that period of self-denial that, let's be honest, is a lot less strict that it used to be. It is also a day for many to decide what they are "giving up" for Lent. But these practices were not always so.
Back when Lent was a lot more stringent in its guidelines, Catholics were required to give up meat for the entire period. Since lard and other animal fats were commonly used in cooking, there was the desire not to be wasteful, so what was on hand was to be used up before Lent began (thus the "fat" in Fat Tuesday) in order not to have it go bad before Easter. Talk about a true, "farewell to the flesh," which is the basic meaning of "Carnival." Now, we're limited to Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent and Holy Week for our meatless requirements, although all Fridays are technically still a requirement unless some other form of penance is done on non-Lenten Fridays, but my generation and the one after were not very well catechized on that.
Tomorrow, Catholics will go en masse to Mass and get the burnt remains of last year's palms smeared on their foreheads as a show of their religiosity, with it being impossible to determine who the regular churchgoers and the occasional ones are. Every Catholic is religious on Ash Wednesday. Palm Sunday, Christmas and Easter are also popular ones. But the ashes are not meant to be a sign of how great and faithful we are, but as a sign of our failure. We are a sinful people; I am a sinful man. We need to be reminded of how we have failed, so we can get up and try again, recognizing our total dependence on God and how any good we do comes from Him.
This is where giving up something can be a useful practice. The best things to give up are the things that distract us the most from God, fostering a spirit of detachment. If it's something that we can't have in our lives without it being a distraction, perhaps it's something we should do without even after Lent. But even things that are not sinful, but are enjoyable, can be good to give up. There is more to it though. If someone gives up chocolate for Lent, but then eats so much on Easter Sunday that he's throwing up, there's definitely been a lesson missed. Beyond giving something up, taking something on can be a good practice, whether it's a new devotion, taking more time for prayer or Scripture reading, getting to weekday Mass or giving more of one's time, talent and/or treasure for charity. Instead of just giving something up, take something on in its place.
Confession is probably the most underused, underrated part of Catholic life today. Most parishes still offer regular Saturday Confessions. Get in, and if you haven't been in for a while, tell the priest that at the beginning. I've met many a priest who has said there are few things they are happier to hear than, "It's been x years since my last Confession." It's like weeding the garden. The more often you go, the less you'll need to confess, and the greater accountability can help keep some of those spiritual weeds from growing back. Before I was born, but from what I heard from my mom when she was still alive, there was a time when Confession lines were longer and Communion lines shorter. Catholics knew more about mortal sin and were more discerning about not receiving in a state of mortal sin. It couldn't hurt to get back to that as a regular thing. I was once told Confession was like breathing. The human body can breathe once every three minutes and still maintain the bare essential functions to stay alive. To be in overall good health, however, requires more breathing than that. Catholics are required to go to Confession at least once a year, but more frequently, monthly for example, is recommended.
Back to Mass...well, that's actually the point I was making. I'm willing to bet that although this is not true of all Catholics who only show up a few times a year, there may be a good number out there who haven't started coming regularly on Sundays because nobody has invited them. I will confess that although I talk about the A&P and CAPE phenomenon and joke about the complaints of parishioners who are sick of only hearing "Silent Night" or "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today," I can't recall ever reaching out to those groups and inviting them to come back on Sundays. The real gift, the Eucharist is there, Jesus Christ, present in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. If the palms and the ashes really mattered, they'd give out palms at the end of every Sunday Mass and ask us to bring them back on Saturday to have Ashes at the beginning of Mass. Our Lord gives Himself to us sinful, unworthy people to make us worthy. If you haven't been in a while, I hope you'll be there not just tomorrow, but four days after that as well, and I owe you an apology if I haven't extended that invitation. I hope to see you there!
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